Scan barcode
hardcover_hazel's reviews
162 reviews
Forbidden Love by Shalini Sharma, Shalini Sharma
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I DNF this book.
Thank you so much to the author for reaching out and sending me a review copy. That was so sweet and kind 💖
Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue reading this book. It looks like a really great plot is there but there is a lot of editing needed still.
The way it’s written seems to contradict itself sometimes. It isn’t very descriptive. The characters aren’t written in a way to connect us to them.
There were also some aspects I couldn’t get through - Wince is not something that makes a sound.
This is all constructive criticism, with some editing I’m sure this could turn into an incredible story ❤️ there is real potential, it just needs to be worked on a bit.
Thank you again to Salini Sharma for giving me this review copy - I wish you all the best x
Thank you so much to the author for reaching out and sending me a review copy. That was so sweet and kind 💖
Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue reading this book. It looks like a really great plot is there but there is a lot of editing needed still.
The way it’s written seems to contradict itself sometimes. It isn’t very descriptive. The characters aren’t written in a way to connect us to them.
There were also some aspects I couldn’t get through - Wince is not something that makes a sound.
This is all constructive criticism, with some editing I’m sure this could turn into an incredible story ❤️ there is real potential, it just needs to be worked on a bit.
Thank you again to Salini Sharma for giving me this review copy - I wish you all the best x
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Love You, Love You Not by Jo Watson
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Do I love this book or love it not?
I love it 🤭
Okay, at first Poppy got on my nerves 😂 how can anyone have that much drama and be that dramatic? Plus the incompetence at work, the perfectionist in me could never! But in the end she had me laughing away.
Poppy - an actress - is desperate for money and takes a job she’s not qualified for. Showing up in a wig, dramatic glasses, a fake name, and 80s clothing. From rescuing hurt pigeons, to dangling from her shirt, to accidentally sending her boss to the emergency room, does drama follow her? Or is she the drama?
The South African references were everything.
Pick this up if you:
- love funny drama
- want to read a romcom
- want to hear cockpit smut (I’m kidding it was in the passenger section of a private jet)
- love grumpy x sunshine
- love workplace smut and how to get out of it when you’re caught
- want to read about the best soap opera ever
- want the tea spilled sis
4 ✨
I love it 🤭
Okay, at first Poppy got on my nerves 😂 how can anyone have that much drama and be that dramatic? Plus the incompetence at work, the perfectionist in me could never! But in the end she had me laughing away.
Poppy - an actress - is desperate for money and takes a job she’s not qualified for. Showing up in a wig, dramatic glasses, a fake name, and 80s clothing. From rescuing hurt pigeons, to dangling from her shirt, to accidentally sending her boss to the emergency room, does drama follow her? Or is she the drama?
The South African references were everything.
Pick this up if you:
- love funny drama
- want to read a romcom
- want to hear cockpit smut (I’m kidding it was in the passenger section of a private jet)
- love grumpy x sunshine
- love workplace smut and how to get out of it when you’re caught
- want to read about the best soap opera ever
- want the tea spilled sis
4 ✨
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
The irony of rating a book that rates a variety of topics 😂 this book rates hot dog contests and Dr Pepper to the Small Pox Vaccine and Sunsets.
While a bit random, I learnt about a variety of topics and the writing was so good I was moved to tears a few times (I, like John Green, am I crier).
It was also nice to hear about the pandemic from the mind of a writer.
I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” four stars.
(A playful joke on how each chapter ended 😆)
While a bit random, I learnt about a variety of topics and the writing was so good I was moved to tears a few times (I, like John Green, am I crier).
It was also nice to hear about the pandemic from the mind of a writer.
I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” four stars.
(A playful joke on how each chapter ended 😆)
Breaking Away by Sookh Kaur
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Happy release day to “Breaking Away” - a cute sports romance 🥰 if you love Ali Hazelwood, you’d LOVE this book!!
It had me crying happy tears multiple times throughout it 🥹💖
This was just the cuuuuutest romance!! We follow Dimitri, “The Great Wall of Ice” Lokhov - a professional hockey player with a secret, who’s a stone wall but is super shy underneath, and Kavi Basra - who thinks her life is falling apart and hasn’t amounted to much when she’s an incredibly talented photographer and so much more.
This book had me laughing at Kavi’s silly moments, and the good-natured team banter 🥹 it had me crying happy tears at character growth and how cute these two are! And the smut? It was so good!
Sookh Kaur has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I even bought the book today when I read the ARC 💖
5/5 ✨ I feel like I just devoured a sweet treat
It had me crying happy tears multiple times throughout it 🥹💖
This was just the cuuuuutest romance!! We follow Dimitri, “The Great Wall of Ice” Lokhov - a professional hockey player with a secret, who’s a stone wall but is super shy underneath, and Kavi Basra - who thinks her life is falling apart and hasn’t amounted to much when she’s an incredibly talented photographer and so much more.
This book had me laughing at Kavi’s silly moments, and the good-natured team banter 🥹 it had me crying happy tears at character growth and how cute these two are! And the smut? It was so good!
Sookh Kaur has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I even bought the book today when I read the ARC 💖
5/5 ✨ I feel like I just devoured a sweet treat
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It’s been 84 years… but I’ve finally finished this book!! This TOME 😂
Going into felt overwhelming - it’s so long, and there’s a million places and characters thrown at you. It is high fantasy after all. And Ms. Shannon definitely knew my weakness (names). Literally ask the people I love how many times a day I say “I forgot the name but” and continue to describe something so obvious 😂
But somehow, the Mother gifted me with enough brainpower to not only remember people (after writing down 7 names) but places too (after writing down 5) and less than a hundred pages in I was remembering everyone and everything and knew exactly what was going on and I was HOOKED.
So, go into it with a mindset of this is your textbook and you’ll be fine 😂
We have dragons, we have magic, we have pirates, we have politics, we have cultures, we have religions, we have POC, we have sapphics, we have gays, we have queers. In a whole ass fantasy world!
And what a world it is.
I understand why this is compared to Game of Thrones. Because I’d be winter if this got turned into a series (coming)
4.5 stars because this was an entire 800 book leading up to this massive battle… that was over in 30 pages. And also because of throwing so many names at me at first that I actually had to write them down without even knowing there was a whole ass glossary of them at the back 😂
Going into felt overwhelming - it’s so long, and there’s a million places and characters thrown at you. It is high fantasy after all. And Ms. Shannon definitely knew my weakness (names). Literally ask the people I love how many times a day I say “I forgot the name but” and continue to describe something so obvious 😂
But somehow, the Mother gifted me with enough brainpower to not only remember people (after writing down 7 names) but places too (after writing down 5) and less than a hundred pages in I was remembering everyone and everything and knew exactly what was going on and I was HOOKED.
So, go into it with a mindset of this is your textbook and you’ll be fine 😂
We have dragons, we have magic, we have pirates, we have politics, we have cultures, we have religions, we have POC, we have sapphics, we have gays, we have queers. In a whole ass fantasy world!
And what a world it is.
I understand why this is compared to Game of Thrones. Because I’d be winter if this got turned into a series (coming)
4.5 stars because this was an entire 800 book leading up to this massive battle… that was over in 30 pages. And also because of throwing so many names at me at first that I actually had to write them down without even knowing there was a whole ass glossary of them at the back 😂
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a powerful book. We follow the true crime story of serial killer Ted Bundy but told from a fictional perspective. Pamela survives the onslaught left behind in her sorority dorm when he murders and maims two sorority sisters.
We follow a lot of his true crime story here, and see how much praise and credit he got from the press which was definitely not deserved.
I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the feminine take on how things were in the world at this time. I listened to this as an audiobook and the details of the law proceedings and admin details read by this reader was just not for me 😩 I might have enjoyed it more as a physical copy. The reader was perfect though, giving a wonderful voice to Pamela.
The rest of the story was incredible. Pick it up if you:
- love true crime
- want more victim focus than praising the serial killer focus
- are a feminist
- support woman’s rights (and wrongs - not that there are many in the book)
We follow a lot of his true crime story here, and see how much praise and credit he got from the press which was definitely not deserved.
I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the feminine take on how things were in the world at this time. I listened to this as an audiobook and the details of the law proceedings and admin details read by this reader was just not for me 😩 I might have enjoyed it more as a physical copy. The reader was perfect though, giving a wonderful voice to Pamela.
The rest of the story was incredible. Pick it up if you:
- love true crime
- want more victim focus than praising the serial killer focus
- are a feminist
- support woman’s rights (and wrongs - not that there are many in the book)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The final book in the City of Ember series ✨
This book takes us on an adventure back into the heart of ember. The city has been abandoned following the end of book 1, and the Emberites are living in Sparks now.
The world outside the city is harsh and tough. Experiencing a long, cold, hungry winter, Lina and Doon wonder if there’s still useful things left behind in their old city, so they plan an adventure with lots of twists and turns along the way.
The best part of this book was the ending. Getting to hear how Lina and Doon’s lives evolve, and how the world grows along with them 🥹
This book takes us on an adventure back into the heart of ember. The city has been abandoned following the end of book 1, and the Emberites are living in Sparks now.
The world outside the city is harsh and tough. Experiencing a long, cold, hungry winter, Lina and Doon wonder if there’s still useful things left behind in their old city, so they plan an adventure with lots of twists and turns along the way.
The best part of this book was the ending. Getting to hear how Lina and Doon’s lives evolve, and how the world grows along with them 🥹
Seasick by Kristin Cast, Pintip Dunn
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ✨
This was a fun read! We follow a group of teens on a luxury yacht at the end of high school. Most of them are well off, and there’s gossip and scandals in the group.
Then someone turns up dead. And another. And another. Will our main characters, two former best friends, be able to survive this night on the murder yacht?
I enjoyed following the antics of the killer and who would end up dead next, and how. It’s basically a good B-list horror movie.
Perfect for almost spooky season 🤭
This was a fun read! We follow a group of teens on a luxury yacht at the end of high school. Most of them are well off, and there’s gossip and scandals in the group.
Then someone turns up dead. And another. And another. Will our main characters, two former best friends, be able to survive this night on the murder yacht?
I enjoyed following the antics of the killer and who would end up dead next, and how. It’s basically a good B-list horror movie.
Perfect for almost spooky season 🤭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book is meant to be a prequel to the City of Ember but, honestly, feels like it should have been a standalone book. At the end, some things tie up and we find out some links back to the City of Ember but most of this book felt very random.
I highly suggest skipping this in the series, or just reading the last chapter of what happens after. Otis was cute (a dog) and I enjoyed the links back to ember at the end and how a couple things tied up but it felt like a completely different book for 99% of the time.
I highly suggest skipping this in the series, or just reading the last chapter of what happens after. Otis was cute (a dog) and I enjoyed the links back to ember at the end and how a couple things tied up but it felt like a completely different book for 99% of the time.
The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"By the end of this night, if I have not stabbed Suzette with one of these forks, it will only be because I’m not sure which one to use to do it."
Millie is back! Enzo too. It's been 11 years so jumping from book 2 to this felt like a little bit of whiplash 😂
The authors writing is much better in this one 💃 and the kids sound so adorable! I love hearing about Millie's life and there's a few characters from the previous books that say hi too!
This wasn't as thrilling as previous books and nothing is mentioned in detail but please read the trigger warnings for this 🩷
I still loved this story and really enjoyed the twists and turns the author took us down 🤭 I was reading in bed next to my partner, who had fallen asleep lightly. But she wanted me to wake her for any new developments and she made sure she was fully awake to hear it 😂 which was super cute and made the book an even better experience ✨
I'll miss The Housemaid 🥹
Millie is back! Enzo too. It's been 11 years so jumping from book 2 to this felt like a little bit of whiplash 😂
The authors writing is much better in this one 💃 and the kids sound so adorable! I love hearing about Millie's life and there's a few characters from the previous books that say hi too!
This wasn't as thrilling as previous books and nothing is mentioned in detail but please read the trigger warnings for this 🩷
I still loved this story and really enjoyed the twists and turns the author took us down 🤭 I was reading in bed next to my partner, who had fallen asleep lightly. But she wanted me to wake her for any new developments and she made sure she was fully awake to hear it 😂 which was super cute and made the book an even better experience ✨
I'll miss The Housemaid 🥹